Castes of the Future World: How AI Will Divide Humanity into "Architects," "Centaurs," and the "Useless Class"

In one of my previous articles, "How Neural Networks Are Changing Our World and How to Adapt to New Challenges," I mentioned that modern technologies act as a great equalizer. A billionaire and a college student have the exact same smartphone, and access to Wikipedia is equal for everyone. However, the artificial intelligence revolution is not just a new gadget. It is a tectonic shift, comparable to the invention of the steam engine or electricity.

But while the Industrial Revolution divided the world into those who owned the factories (the bourgeoisie) and those who worked in them (the proletariat), the AI revolution threatens to create a cognitive divide. The chasm will not lie between the rich and the poor, but between those who control the algorithms, and those who are controlled by the algorithms.

Let's reflect a bit on the possible stratification of society due to the active integration of artificial intelligence. Having analyzed current trends and the opinions of visionaries, I have identified four main castes into which the society of the future will divide.

1. The Caste of "Techno-Gods" or Architects

These are the people who will become the new super-elite. This group will include not just owners of capital, but owners of computing power and data. In the future, the most valuable resource will not be oil, but the ability to train giant neural networks. This group will include the owners of tech giants, the creators of closed proprietary models (AGI), and those who control the "hardware" (chips and data centers).

Essentially, they will be the ones shaping our new reality, deciding what information we see in search results and what ethical norms are hardcoded into AI. If we assume that practically everything will be managed by algorithms, their power will become limitless. If the scenario from my article "The Invisible Internet and Free Money: What Will Our World Be Like in 2050?" regarding social credit systems comes true, it will be this exact group that determines those ratings.

2. The Caste of "Centaurs" or Neuro-symbiotes

The middle and upper-middle class of the future will consist of those who combine human creativity with the power of machines. That is exactly why they are called "centaurs."

These are people who will actively use the capabilities of artificial intelligence, yet the final decision will still rest with them. For example, engineers coding in tandem with a neural network, or artists and writers using AI as a tool rather than a replacement.

One such "centaur" will be able to do the work previously done by a department of dozens of people. Their incomes will grow, as they will become operators of the most expensive tool in the world. While the "architects" will hold responsibility on a global level, for the "centaurs," it will be local.

3. The Caste of Executors (Task Workers)

I haven't yet found the most fitting name for this caste; let's temporarily call them "executors." But the core idea is that this will include everyone whose labor is still cheaper than automation, or people who will be employed to entertain the rest.

For example, these could be couriers or taxi drivers who haven't yet been replaced by delivery robots or self-driving cars. Also, in the world of the future, there will still be a demand for human-driven entertainment. I don't know how interesting it will be to watch a chess match between two neural networks, or a football game or theatrical play performed by robots. Most likely, certain areas of entertainment will remain in human hands.

4. The "Useless Class"

For this caste, the term introduced by historian Yuval Noah Harari fits perfectly. This is the most frightening category. It will include people whose skills have been completely automated, and who were unable to retrain as "centaurs" (due to age, lack of education, or mental inflexibility).

These aren't just unemployed people. They are people unneeded by the economy. In the 20th century, exploitation was the problem, but in the 21st century, the main problem will be irrelevance. It is logical to assume that this class will make up the majority. Governments will pay them allowances—often referred to as UBI (Universal Basic Income)—so they don't rebel, and offer them cheap digital entertainment (metaverses, games) to kill time.

The Luxury of Human Connection

The most interesting change will occur in the realm of consumption. In the past, manual labor and servants were the privilege of the rich, while mass production was for the poor. In the AI world, everything will flip.

• For the poor — digital services. An AI doctor, an AI teacher, an AI psychologist, and an AI lawyer. It will be cheap, fast, and accessible to everyone.
• For the rich — living people. A real human teacher, a live doctor who will check your pulse, a human nanny, a human waiter instead of a delivery robot.

"Human contact" will become a luxury good. The wealthy will pay to disconnect from the digital world and speak with a living being. There will likely emerge a movement of "New Luddites" or the "Analog Elite"—people who demonstratively reject gadgets, send their children to screen-free schools, and live in Wi-Fi-free zones.

The Bottom Line (and a bit of optimism)

The society of the future risks becoming like a layer cake, where the layers are isolated from each other even more strongly than they are now. The social elevator might break down because the barrier to entry into the "Centaur" caste will become too high. It will require not just learning specific skills and knowledge, but high intelligence, adaptability, willpower, and a range of other necessary qualities.

However, there is also an optimistic scenario. It envisions that AI will lift the curse of routine from humanity, allowing us to engage in creativity, science, and caring for one another while the robots "plow the fields." And the new elites will be so humane that they will engineer a perfect harmony for everyone.

Ah, who am I kidding? Regardless, the race has already begun. Player One, get ready!